Real Food for Dogs

What is "Real Food for dogs?" Is there another kind? Well yes, in my view of dog nutrition, there is. To put it simply, if you can visually identify the food or it's individual components, it is real food. If it's in a packet or a can and the contents bear no physical resemblance to the ingredients pictured on the label, then it's probably not real, or in other words, what I call "artificial food."

Real food saved me from having my dog, Sky, put down. It’s true. In late 2006, she was visibly old, stiff, lame in one shoulder and reluctant to move, showed no interest in life and spent 23 hours a day sleeping. She had even started wetting her bed in preference to making the effort to go outdoors. Counting on my fingers, I realised she was 14 years old! The time every dog owner fears was upon me. It was time to say good-bye. I couldn’t bear it! She had been a part of the family for so long; she had been my comfort in so many difficult times.

That night, as if she read my thoughts, Sky refused her premium brand dog biscuits, specially formulated for senior dogs. I served her a portion of the family meal, which was beef casserole and vegetables, and she ate it all up. I decided that if her days were numbered, it didn’t matter what she ate, so I continued sharing family meals with her while I procrastinated about her final visit to the Vet.

Six weeks later, it was Christmas time; family members who had been overseas came home to visit. My daughter remarked straight away that Sky was looking good. "What have you been doing with her?" she asked. "Have you found a miracle drug?"

Without thinking, I responded "No, I’ve been feeding her with real food."

And so, the phrase "real dog food" in our household was born. We still have Sky after eighteen months. She is 16 years old, but she is as lively and energetic as she was ten years ago, although she’s not quite fast enough any more to catch rabbits. I am still feeding her real dog food; indeed, I would never again subject a dog or cat to food from a packet or can – what I call artificial, or junk food for pets. I make all Sky’s food myself, using human grade ingredients suitable for dogs. I find it no more expensive than feeding her the so-called premium dog food I used to give her. It is no trouble to prepare her homemade dog food while preparing food for the rest of the family.

Sky’s final visit to the Vet looks to be a long way into the future.

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